Call number
296 WYL
Status
Available
Call number
Pages
215
Description
Understanding Jewish life in the first century helps us better understand Jesus' mission and how it relates to the concerns of today.
Publication
Paulist Press (1996) 215 pages
Original publication date
1996
ISBN
0809136104 / 9780809136100
Collection
User reviews
LibraryThing member moses917
The Jews in the Time of Jesus: An Introduction is a great book that reads as a survey of early Christianity and Second Temple Judaism written by Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen. The teachings of Jesus, his life story, his relationships, the things that were said of him by early Christians – all are best
It covers a timeline of Jewish history roughly from the successful revolt of the Maccabees against the Selucid (Persian) empire in around 168 BC and the beginnings of the Second Temple era to the failed revolt against the Romans around 70 AD and the Romans’ total destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It generally covers Jews and Judaism throughout the era of the Second Temple. This time period of Judaism was strongly oriented towards `the Law’ of the Torah.
I enjoyed the section that discussed the splintering groups of Judaism under Roman rule and its monarchs such as the lineage of Herod the Great. Judaism fractured into different sects the most prominent were the Sadducees, the Essenes, the Pharisees (who are split between the camp founded by Hillel the more liberal and tolerant, and the camp founded by Shammai the more strict on the points of the law) and then the followers of Jesus. Paul of Tarsus is believed to be a follower of Shammai before his conversion.
All the topics in the book help put Jesus in the context of a diversity of Jewish practices and beliefs and gives a good understanding of the religious, cultural and political scenes during the time of Christ. Wylen covers a variety of sources of the time like the apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, the Mishna, and the Talmud. This book gains value by being a popular survey rather than a scholarly treatment of Ancient Judaism. This book I would greatly recommend to any student desiring an introduction to Second Temple Judaism in ancient Palestine during the time of Jesus.
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understood against the backdrop of Jesus’ own time and place. Understanding Jewish life in the 1st century will help us better understand Jesus’ mission and how it relates to our own religious concerns today. The book is a good starter for anyone interested in understanding the Jewish roots of Christianity.It covers a timeline of Jewish history roughly from the successful revolt of the Maccabees against the Selucid (Persian) empire in around 168 BC and the beginnings of the Second Temple era to the failed revolt against the Romans around 70 AD and the Romans’ total destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It generally covers Jews and Judaism throughout the era of the Second Temple. This time period of Judaism was strongly oriented towards `the Law’ of the Torah.
I enjoyed the section that discussed the splintering groups of Judaism under Roman rule and its monarchs such as the lineage of Herod the Great. Judaism fractured into different sects the most prominent were the Sadducees, the Essenes, the Pharisees (who are split between the camp founded by Hillel the more liberal and tolerant, and the camp founded by Shammai the more strict on the points of the law) and then the followers of Jesus. Paul of Tarsus is believed to be a follower of Shammai before his conversion.
All the topics in the book help put Jesus in the context of a diversity of Jewish practices and beliefs and gives a good understanding of the religious, cultural and political scenes during the time of Christ. Wylen covers a variety of sources of the time like the apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, the Mishna, and the Talmud. This book gains value by being a popular survey rather than a scholarly treatment of Ancient Judaism. This book I would greatly recommend to any student desiring an introduction to Second Temple Judaism in ancient Palestine during the time of Jesus.
Show Less